


My Home Is Your Body

by edensrose



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Bottom Louis, Exes to Lovers, Lingerie, M/M, Modeling, Size Kink, very little angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:22:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26167090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edensrose/pseuds/edensrose
Summary: He had seen who had made his senses go haywire. His ex was in the front row, five feet in front of him. He felt his eyes on him even as he mechanically made his way to the end of the runway, hoping to God he didn’t look like a maniac. Everything was a blur. He somehow managed to walk the rest of the way without falling or emoting anything. Why was he HERE? Of all places....where Louis is a successful omega model and the last thing he expects is his ex to become the co-partner of the new company he works for....
Relationships: Henry Cavill/Louis Tomlinson
Comments: 20
Kudos: 134
Collections: Louis and Men Fest





	My Home Is Your Body

  
  


Louis was understandably nervous to be walking in his first fashion show. He had been a model for almost fifteen years, but he had never walked a full runway—and in lingerie and heels no less. His excitement almost outweighed his nervousness because this was big. Not only was the company he was walking for including models of all ages, but all body types, genders, and sexualities were included. It was invigorating to be a part of.  
  
SoLuxe Company was quickly gaining credibility in the industry despite having been formed two years ago. Already it was a rival to Victoria’s Secret, which strictly catered to women. Louis himself had only recently started modeling lingerie. He was twenty seven years old, omega, and separated from his mate. All three of those factors would have killed a career when he was younger, but things were slowly changing, and he was thrilled to be a part of it. He still had yet to meet the other partner of SoLuxe, although his boss, Taylor, was delightful. A former model herself, she was now married to another mogul, Bella Hadid. Bella herself was modeling for the company, and he would share the runway with her. Taylor was an alpha, Bella an omega, and Louis sometimes felt saddened when he was near the two of them, not because they were wrong for each other but because their bond was so apparent. It made him think of his alpha—no, not his alpha anymore—he shook that thought out of his head. Seeing them so in touch and in each other’s orbit made him think of what he used to have.

His mating mark itched near his clavicle, and every day he was glad that it wasn’t high up on his neck where people could see casually. It was a blessing when he was trying to talk to other alphas. He had dated around since the break up but he couldn’t bring himself to spend his heat with anyone else, despite it being terrible without an alpha. He knew that eventually he would find someone, that perhaps another bite would claim the one on his neck, but it hadn’t happened yet.  
  
He hadn’t seen the alpha in almost a year and a half. He tried not to think of him especially on a day like today, his first runway walk, a new phase in his career. But while he had lots of friends, lots of colleagues he could discuss things and celebrate with, there was an emptiness that was only filled by a certain person. It was nonsense though, Louis knew. Just because you mated someone, it didn’t mean your life was over. But—

“Lou, hey, are you ok?” a voice asked him close by. 

He must have been standing near the mirror lost in his thoughts for more time than he thought. 

“Oh, hey Bebe, yeah I’m fine,” he said, shaking himself out of his weird mood. 

Bebe was one of his closest friends, they were some of the older omegas that made up the roster for SoLuxe. They bonded over their mutual love for pop music and karaoke when they first met. She had a figure that was curvy, and she rocked the lingerie with confidence. 

“Hmm, I think you’re thinking about HIM again,” she said. 

“You get this frown on your forehead,” she pointed to where Louis’ brows intersected. 

“I can frown without thinking about my ex,” he said, rolling his eyes. 

She gave him her own sassy look back that told him without words that she knew he was lying. 

“Whatever you say, babe. But look, it’s almost show time, have you seen how packed it is out there? Sometimes I forget how popular SoLuxe has gotten. Our pictures are gonna be everywhere,” she said, grinning happily. 

Louis wasn’t necessarily worried about that, but he hated that the tabloids were invited as well as journalists and magazines. That was all fine until they decided to write about who was dating who, drag up Louis’ break up, and never mention his job.

“You know that guy wasn’t invited right? The one that always writes about you” Bebe said. 

Louis swung away from the mirror to give her a questioning look. 

“Yeah, somehow he didn’t get an invite. I saw Taylor talking about it. Someone higher up has him banned from SoLuxe shows.” 

Louis’ brows rose. It must be the mysterious partner that had just signed on to invest. 

“Good, it’s about time that guy was banned,” Louis said vehemently. 

“I know, that guy is terrible, and he is an omega too! Imagine writing all of that stuff about omegas when you’re in the same boat,” Bebe said, disgust in her voice.

Louis was still in his robe, so he went to the clothes rack to find his first outfit. 

“It’s going to be so hectic changing today,” Bebe continued speaking. “I think we have twenty people walking with us.” She was already wearing her first outfit with a sheer robe cover up. 

“I’m glad though,” Louis said as he selected the lingerie from the clothes rack. “It gives everyone time to shine.” 

“I just wanted to check on you before we walked, I think we have under ten minutes. I’ll see you at the curtain!” Bebe gave him a little kiss on the cheek and then bounded out of the doorway. Where did she get all her energy, he wondered in amusement. 

He looked down to the piece he was holding in his hands. Purple silk lingerie with lace edging the bodice. It was beautiful, and he loved the dark purple color. SoLuxe was determined to find pieces for everyone no matter what their presentation was. There were pieces for alphas, omegas, betas, for everyone. It was this equality that Louis loved to see, and was glad to part of the movement. No matter what the tabloids said or magazines published, he knew that this was a forward thinking company. He was walking with Bebe first, and he was excited to see how the runway looked.  
  


The runway was brightly lit, flashes going off from all sides of the room as photographers took their shots. Louis knew it was being filmed so he tried to keep his eyes in the center. It was killer walking in heels, but he’d been doing it over half his life. It raised his rather diminutive 5’6 to 5’10. His first walk down the runway, he felt exhilarated and couldn’t help his grin especially as he passed by Bebe, who high-fived him. The energy in the room was infectious. The DJ that Taylor had hired filled the room with pulsing beats. He posed at the end of the runway, hand on his hip. He knew he looked damn good.  
  
There was something niggling at him though, he couldn’t put his finger on it. Even though the room was packed, he felt like he could scent something he hadn’t smelled in a long time. It was probably his imagination, but it was lingering in his senses. Maybe he needed to get the strength of his suppressants checked although he had made sure he was nowhere near his heat. He hoped none of this could be seen on his face, he needed to be fully confident of his look.  
  
The lights were down and only the lights of the runway could be seen. A darker runway set would have made it seem ghostly but somehow Taylor and her team had transformed it so the colors changed on the runway, lighting up in different colors for every set of lingerie that came down the runway. Louis’ second outfit was his favorite of the night, lace blue panties and matching brazier with a lace robe that came down to mid thigh.

The beauty of SoLuxe was that their entire team was made up of alphas, betas, and omegas. There was no one set designer for the pieces. Louis’ favorite designer had created the lingerie pieces he was walking in now. He hoped he would see him before the night was out. Zayn had become a very dear friend and he was thankful for him daily. Zayn was an unmated omega, much to the sorrow of every available alpha. A former model, he had turned his attention to fashion design, and their friendship grew as Louis became his muse. 

Louis was only walking a few times since there were so many other models walking as well. The show would be relatively short since it was just a small showcase, but Louis could already see how the media would beg for more.   
He took a deep breath before taking the stage for the final time. Strands of glitter littered the air, another part of Taylor’s designs. He felt it spinning around him, landing on his skin. He imagined that it would stand out in the press photos. The closer he got to the end of the runway, the stronger the intense feeling became. He didn’t know what it was that was affecting him. He almost wanted to squint into the audience to see if there was someone he knew there. He rotated in his last pose making sure the camera caught the provocative lace edging on the brazier and winked at the camera. He heard the audience hooting and clapping as he bounded back towards the back of the runway.

“Louis! You did amazing!” Bebe squealed as she saw him. Bebe was wearing her signature red lingerie with matching lipstick. They couldn’t change yet as they had the final curtain call where their groups would go out and bow. 

“So did you! Can you believe we popped our runway cherry?” he asked, laughing as she came close to him. 

“Jade told me that there are going to be so many single alphas at the after party,” she said, her eyebrow forming a perfect arch. 

“So maybe that’s not the only cherry…” she continued, and he rolled his eyes. 

“Don’t roll your eyes at me, Lou. I just know there’s a perfect gentlemen alpha out there, or at least someone you can have fun with,” she said.

“I’m just not looking for anyone Bebe, I like being single,” he said, hoping she'd drop the subject. 

“You mean you like going home to a cold bed?” she asked, brows raised. 

“My bed isn’t cold, Clifford sleeps in it,” he said deadpan.

“You can act as jaded as you want, but I know you, and you deserve happiness and all that goes with it. Great sex, a man that can take care of you, an alpha that can cook,” she listed off on her fingers

“How about you worry about finding one of those paragons for yourself before you worry about me,” he said.

“Because it’s so much more fun to tease you about it! But don’t worry, I’m not going to go home alone tonight,” she winked. 

Louis shook his head but he wasn’t annoyed. He was happy that he could banter back and forth with Bebe about things like that without feeling too much pain.   
  
  


The curtain lifted, and then they were making the final walk down the runway. All the lights were up and he could see into the audience. He squinted a little to see if there was anyone he knew, especially the owner of that strange familiar smell. Bebe was behind him so she noticed when he stumbled a bit. Without her hand, he probably would have fallen arse over teakettle onto the floor. 

“Lou?” she whispered behind him, but he couldn’t say anything. He had seen who had made his senses go haywire. His ex was in the front row, five feet in front of him. He felt his eyes on him even as he mechanically made his way to the end of the runway, hoping to God he didn’t look like a maniac. Everything was a blur. He somehow managed to walk the rest of the way without falling or emoting anything. Why was he HERE? of all places.  
  


Bebe steered him off the runway, towards his dressing room. 

“Ok what happened? You’re pale as a sheet? Are you sick? Here, take this,” he heard Bebe say. His hazy vision cleared when she handed him a glass of water. 

“He was here….Henry was here,” Louis mumbled.

It was the first time he said his name out loud in months.

“Your ex….partner?” Bebe queried. 

Bebe was using the right usage as they had been mates but never married. He could feel the mark on his skin itch. 

“I’d recognize his eyes anywhere,” Louis said. His omega was agitated, whimpering at the need to find his alpha. Louis tried to reel himself in, Henry wasn’t his alpha anymore.

“He used to be a model didn’t he? I wonder what he’s doing here,” Bebe wondered.

  
Louis was asking the same question. Of all places, why was Henry here? He tried to cast his mind back to when they had still been together. One of the main problems their relationship had suffered was that Henry wanted to settle down and have kids and Louis wanted to get further in his career first. It wasn’t in Henry’s nature to stand in Louis’ way, but it was a source of contention. He hadn’t seen any modeling photos of Henry recently so perhaps he did give it up like he wanted to. 

“Do you mind asking Luke if he’s ready to drive me home?” he asked Bebe. 

“Sure thing, back in a mo’,” she said, giving his shoulder a squeeze. And then, he was blessedly alone with his chaotic feelings. He shivered, trying to understand why Henry would show up at this event. His senses were tingling. The scent was back, that was what jerked Louis out of his thoughts and towards the doorway. That scent of butterscotch and old pine, something that shouldn’t blend well together but did for the alpha that stood before him. 

Louis’ mouth dried up. He was caught up in a blue gaze, eyes that devoured his appearance. He was suddenly aware that he was only wearing a flimsy silk robe with nothing but lingerie underneath it. He could only hope he wasn’t turning bright red. 

The two years that they had spent apart had changed Henry physically. His physique was more muscular than it had ever been, which made him look taller, and he sported a full beard. His air of quiet confidence was unchanged, but every part of him looked like the alpha he once knew but even more handsome. He looked powerful and in control. 

“I didn’t expect to find you here,” his deep voice said, and Louis had forgotten how attractive it was. “I didn’t know you moved on to lingerie modeling.” 

“Well, you don’t know everything about me I guess,” Louis said airily, feigning indifference. 

“You look beautiful, even more than when I last saw you,” Henry said quietly.

Considering the last time they’d spoken Louis had been in tears, this wasn’t exactly a compliment. 

He didn’t really know what this was. Old friends catching up? No, they could never just BE friends. They tried that in the beginning to no avail. Exes checking up on each other? It was bizarre. Louis could no longer pretend he wasn’t affected even if Henry could. 

“Are you hiding your mark?” Henry asked, and Louis pulled his robe in tighter. 

“That’s really none of your business is it” Louis said coolly. 

Henry winced. “I’m sorry, you’re right it’s not. I thought I would come in here and be so collected and I’ve already lost it haven’t I,” he said with a sheepish smile. 

It was one of the things Louis loved most about Henry, he was so humble especially for an alpha so handsome and powerful.

“You look good, you really uh, bulked up,” Louis said, gesturing towards Henry’s physique. 

“Boxing, among other things” Henry said, flexing a sizable bicep. Louis couldn’t help but stare, he was only human. 

He made a noncommittal noise. Henry stepped from the doorway and moved closer to Louis’ chair. Up close Louis could see that the beard was even thicker than he supposed. For a moment, his fantasies took him to a cabin where Henry chopped wood. He could even smell the freshly fallen snow and the pancakes Henry made. God, he needed to get it together. 

“So what are you doing here?” Louis asked, trying to maintain normal conversation.

“Didn’t Taylor tell you?” Henry asked. He propped his larger body near the vanity, head to toe looking like the former model he was. Louis hoped his suppressants were working overtime because this man was sin in a suit. 

“Tell me what?” 

“I’ve partnered with SoLuxe. After…what happened between us,” there was a noticeable gap as if it hurt for him to say, “I stopped modeling and started investing. I used the capital I’d already gained to invest in different business ventures. SoLuxe is something I’ve been thinking about investing in for awhile, not just as an intimate apparel line but branching out as well,” he said.

This was all well and good but had he known Louis would be there, Louis wondered.

“So you’re my boss,” Louis said with no inflection in his voice. 

“I do believe that as one of the star employees you will be seeing a lot of me and yes, I am a partner so…” he let the words hang in the air. 

Louis didn’t know whether he should be upset or not. Part of him was still reeling that Henry was in front of him, that part of him wanted so badly to breathe in Henry’s scent after so long without it, it was like giving up cigarettes only to give into the nicotine addiction again. The other part of him was more realistic, reminding him of why precisely they had broken up. But it was hard to remember when Henry was in front of him looking like something out of his wet dreams. Dreams that had only ever been of Henry. 

“So you’re here to make sure we don’t screw up since you’ve invested in the business,” Louis said flatly.

“I wouldn’t put it quite like that, but yes,” Henry said, angling his body towards Louis. 

He didn’t know whether he wanted Henry to stay or go. Seeing Henry again wasn’t what he expected. He wanted to ask him if he was happy, if he had found another omega, but the words lodged in his throat.   
  


“You always looked so good in lingerie,” Henry said quietly, and Louis felt himself flush again. He didn’t even understand why, this man had helped him through countless heats, had seen him naked, and yet the quiet admission made him flustered. 

“You always liked me in it too,” he said back just as quietly. Their energy sparked off each other as it always had. There was no denying they had chemistry. 

“Was there something you didn’t like and that’s why you’re checking up on me? Because if the tabloids knew you were in here…” Louis asked, brow raised.

“Can’t I come and compliment you without an ulterior motive? I saw you on the runway and knew I had to come see you. I’m going to be completely honest with you Lou, I missed you,” he said, and the words shot straight to Louis’ heart. 

Henry was looking at him, really looking at him the way he used to. 

“I know at the end of our relationship, that’s what you said bothered you, that it didn’t seem like I was laying all my cards on the table and you’re right. We went through so much, but I had hoped we could at least be friends", Henry said. 

  
Friends. Was that really all there was to it? Louis didn’t know if he could just be friends with someone who’d seen him at his most vulnerable and knew all of his secrets. Except one. The fact that he was still irrevocably in love with Henry Cavill. And Henry would never know. 

“Of course we can be friends, we’ll be seeing a lot of each other now,” Louis tried to seem cheerful, although he wasn’t sure if it was working. He was relieved when Luke popped his head around the door. 

“Ready to go, love?” he asked Louis, giving the side-eye to Henry. 

“Yes, let me just get my bag,” he answered, jumping out of his seat. His nerves were frayed which made him a bit jumpier than usual. All he wanted was a drink and to wallow in bed, maybe invite Bebe over.   
  


Henry looked feral as his eyes never wavered from Luke’s. It wouldn’t surprise Louis if Henry thought this was his new alpha although nothing could be further from the truth. Luke was nice, but he was just one of the numerous PA’s whose job included ferrying the models to wherever they wanted to go.

“It was good seeing you, Henry,” Louis said and laid a palm on his arm. The warmth seeped into his fingertips, and he almost gasped. Being this close to Henry was bad, dangerous that his body wanted to be closer, wanted to sink into that warmth.

Louis always knew that Henry had magnificent self control, even when Louis was at his worst, teasing him. The way his whole body was tensed, Louis wondered if Henry was just as affected as he was.

“Before you go, take this,” Henry stood to his full height to fish out his wallet. Louis felt miniature next to him, a feeling he tried to tell himself he disliked, although even he knew that was bullshit. Henry held out a business card. “Just in case you need my number, I’m always there,” he said sincerely. 

“Thank you,” Louis said, touched. His hands were shaking, and he didn’t want the alpha to notice so he stuffed the card in his bag and threw on his overcoat. He nodded towards to Luke, letting him know that he was ready. He reached the door and looked back seeing Henry watching him walk away. And maybe he did sway his hips a little harder than normal, but that was only for him to know. 

  
  


“God he looked so hot,” Louis said, throwing himself on his mattress. He had the phone pressed close to his ear, face in the downy sheets. 

“Yeah, you might have mentioned that like ten times already,” Bebe’s voice said from the cell phone speaker. 

“You don’t understand he’s like three times the size that he was, his biceps are the size of melons,” he said, ranting at the injustice of it all. 

He could hear Bebe laughing in the background. 

“Yeah, well he was a famous model and now he’s a CEO? He’s like the ideal sugar daddy,” she said, and Louis groaned. 

“You’re really not helping,” he said

“Listen, if I’m overstepping you don’t have to answer but why did you break up in the first place? You’re obviously not over him,” Bebe said.

Louis sighed, placing his chin up on the pillow, and chewed on his lip. 

“He really wanted to have kids,” he finally said. 

“Huh, what’s the problem there? You love kids, you always say you want to have kids.” 

“Yeah, but I was at the beginning of my career back then. Who is gonna hire an omega that’s always pregnant?” Louis asked, closing his eyes. 

“Always pregnant? Don’t tell me he wanted to keep you barefoot in the kitchen with a bunch of kids while he was out making money" she said.  
  
Louis could hear the eyeroll in her voice. 

“It wasn’t exactly like that, I mean I do want children, but I was twenty two, it still felt unreal that I was modeling and Henry was already famous. We were constantly in the tabloids,” he said, rolling over so that he was staring at the ceiling. 

“Ah, yeah I remember some of those pics,” Bebe snorted. 

“They always talked about our relationship like they KNEW us. I don’t mind parties or socializing but it was just a lot all the time. It didn’t feel like I was in full control over anything. And Henry never did anything specifically but… I don’t know. We were alway so busy that I hardly got to see him. It felt like he never told me anything" he said

“But you spent your heats and his ruts together, right?” Bebe asked. 

“Yeah, we did, and we were mated so it was good,” More than good, it was the best sex Louis had ever had, but he wasn’t going to tell Bebe that. 

“Don’t get shy on me now,” she said in a wheedling tone. 

“Yeah, no, we’re NOT gonna talk about that right now,” he said, opening his eyes and rolling over into a crunched up position. 

“Because you still want his knot,” Bebe said matter-of-factly. 

“What? No, of course not,” Louis denied vehemently.

“Louis, you can’t stop talking about him and how good he looks. I mean, I agree that he's fit as fuck. The fact that he came to see you? I think he wants you back,” she said.

Louis heart sped up. “You can’t believe that just because he came to see me. For all we know, he’s found someone else.”

“You may have broken up, but he still has your mark doesn’t he? that must mean something" she said sincerely 

This was true. In order to break off the bonding forever, someone else’s mark had to take its place. Louis didn’t think he’d ever find anyone else, and he wasn’t too worried about it but…Henry hadn’t found anyone either. He cast his mind back to earlier that night, even though the mark was faint, the mating spot was still there. 

“And he gave you his number!” Bebe cried triumphantly. 

“I don’t know…I think it’s just work related,” Louis said.  
  
“I think you’d call it fate,” Bebe said smugly. 

“Whatever, I’m gonna hang up now,” he said. 

“Have fun wanking to thoughts of Henry’s knot!” she yelled before he hung up. 

“Ugh,” he said, throwing the phone away from him. 

He hated that she was right. Ever since he smelled Henry, his senses had been overwhelmed, especially since his heat was getting closer. He had gone so long without that comforting smell. Without an alpha, heats lasted even longer. His were more torturous since he knew how good Henry was in bed. Not just during his heats but especially then. He missed being fucked, there was no way around it. It’s not like he hadn’t tried going on dates or even trying to pull. But just when it looked like it would end with a one night stand, he chickened out. He couldn’t help it. It’s like his omega knows that it wasn't his alpha, could never be. He sighed and pulled the covers over his head.   
  


++++++++

He wasn’t prepared to see Henry so quickly after they had last met. He knew that Henry was basically his boss, but he didn’t realize he would be there to supervise some of the shoots. It was less than a week since the runway show. 

“Did you ask for my schedule or something?” Louis asked as he saw Henry looming in the background watching him get his make up done. Leigh-Anne was the best make up artist he’d worked with, he loved how she transformed her clients. Her eyebrow lifted as she watched him with his ex. He’d have to explain things to her later. Henry hanging around Louis was sure to start up gossip, he could see some of the other models staring at him, which he understood. Henry seemingly didn’t seem to notice that people were sending him lustful looks or whispering about him. 

“I saw that you had a shoot, and I was curious, I can admit that,” Henry said with a toothy grin. 

Louis rolled his eyes. “It’s not like you’ve never seen me model before, we did an underwear shoot together before,” he said.  
  


Henry’s eyes gleamed, and Louis’ felt foolish for bringing it up. He knew as well as Henry how that shoot had ended. With Henry’s knot inside Louis, pushed up against one of the partitions in the trailer. It was an iconic photoshoot in many ways as it depicted the alpha on his knees, arms wrapped around the omega, a position that was usually reversed in the fashion industry. 

He still loved the fact Henry had agreed to that. It was soon after they had been branded the IT couple of the modeling world. Louis didn’t miss that attention, it had all but ruined his relationship, but he can’t help the nostalgia he feels thinking back over those days.

“Yes, I remember that shoot, dove, still have the photo on the mantle" Henry said, voice like French silk.   
  
Louis squinted his eyes at the alpha, just realizing he’d called him by his favorite nickname.

Louis was wrapped in a standard white robe, the high collar still hiding his mark. Last night Henry hadn’t seen it but if he was sticking around for the whole shoot, he definitely would. The set of lingerie he was wearing left little to the imagination. It would be his luck that his former alpha would see him like this. 

Louis ignored the alpha, chatting to Leigh-Anne instead. 

“Your ex is certainly a looker,” she said, gesturing with her head towards Henry who had now moved to watch the photographer set up. 

“Looks like a goddamn fitness model,” Louis grumbled while Leigh- Anne smiled. 

“Oh no, please don’t tell me you talked with Bebe,” he groaned.

“I didn’t, but honey, anyone with eyes can see that man isn’t over you. Your robe is basically covering your whole body, and he couldn’t keep his eyes off of you,” she said, finishing up his makeup with some setting powder.

He looked into the mirror approvingly. She had given him a smoky eye to go along with the dusky red lingerie set.

“Good thing I’m not wearing those, I’d probably fall and break my leg,” she said, gesturing to the strappy heels that Louis was about to put on. 

“Trust me, it takes lots of practice,” he said. He would probably need all his concentration since Henry was there and it was hard already not to be drawn back into his orbit. He idly wondered if Henry was having the same problem but couldn’t be sure. He didn’t have much experience when it come to mated pairs that broke up.  
All he knew was his personal experience which marked it as the most painful thing he’d been through. He wasn’t looking forward to his heat which should be a week away which is why he’d booked this last shoot before it started.  
He’d been feeling off since last week when he had been in Henry’s presence. He wouldn’t be surprised if that set him off early. If he could just get through this day he’d be fine, or at least he hoped.  
He saw the rest of the models getting into place for the shoot, so he couldn’t put it off any longer.

He disrobed, leaving his body totally open to anyone’s eyes. He surveyed his appearance one last time before he joined the rest of the models. The top was a sheer bralette, red as sin, where his nipples shown through, the straps lacy. His belly had a piercing that Henry didn’t know about, although he always said Louis would look good with one. A shiny garnet gleamed from a silver loop. The piece de resistance was the lacy, almost see through red panties and the red stilettos with ruby red gems on the heels.  
  
He looked like a sex demon, and he knew it. If Henry didn’t want to see him like this then he wouldn’t be here, he told himself. He needed the pep talk. His ex had seen him in lingerie but Louis had yet to see the newer muscular body under Henry’s stretched shirts which was unfair. Not that he thought about it. In the shower. Twice. 

He sucked in a breath then let it out. He could do this. So what if his ex was there? Maybe he should show him what he’d been missing out on. 

He was the last to arrive on set so all eyes were on him. He smiled sweetly at the photographer asking where he should pose. This was a normal lingerie shoot with the models taking turns being in the front. The setting was art deco. There was a whole set of faux Georgian couches and a fake bookshelf. Not to say that it was cheaply done, it was amazing what the props department could do and how real the setting could look. 

For Louis’ first pose, he was on the couch for a full body photo spread. He was used to posing, it was like second nature to him. The photographer was Italian and very friendly. He could feel Henry’s stare on every part of his body. It was like the other omega models weren’t there. He overheard one of them murmuring how handsome Henry was and despite himself, he was jealous. He had no right to be but there it was. He amped up the sexiness. He bit his lip, fluttered his eyelashes, stretched out his curvy body to the ecstasy of the photographer who kept saying, “Magnificent! Beautiful! Right there! Goddess incarnate.” 

He smirked inwardly, knowing Henry’s alpha was probably growling. He sent Henry a wink when the photographer was done with his solo shoots, making sure he saw the belly button piercing. Seeing Henry’s body completely still and his hands gripping his thighs, Louis knew he affected him. How the tables turned he thought to himself smugly. 

The rest of the shoot passed uneventfully, and Louis was glad for it. He was ready to go home and wallow and wait for his heat to come. He knew his body was telling him that it was coming very soon, maybe even that night.

The last pictures were of him and two other omegas, also in red lingerie. The whole time Henry had been silent, just watching, but he came over to check the pictures, silently approving and giving the photographer a gruff pat on the back.

Louis wondered if Henry was giving every photoshoot the same attention but shook the thought off. Of course he was, he was protecting his investment. 

The photographer gave his blessing for them to go, stopping Louis on his way to the dressing room. 

“For you to use anytime,” he said, giving him a sharp grin. He was holding out a business card, his name and number printed on it. Louis was used to men giving him attention, but he was still surprised. 

“Oh, um, thank you,” he said, taking it but without saying he would call or not. The man nodded his head once and was on his way. 

“Cheeky bugger,” Louis said, but at least the man wasn’t pushy. Those alphas were a dime a dozen. He walked back to his dressing room which was empty now that Leigh-Anne was gone. He placed the business card on the vanity, although he knew he would throw it away before he left.   
  


He felt Henry before he saw him. His presence made itself known by the large body that he could feel behind his own. He looked up into the mirror and met Henry’s gaze. 

“He seemed very interested in you,” Henry said, no inflection in his voice. 

“He’s not my type,” Louis said and immediately wanted to hit his head against the mirror. He should play coy instead of showing his hand right away. 

“Oh? An attractive alpha isn’t want you like?” Henry asked. 

He moved so that he was directly behind Louis whose body seemed frozen. He was still in the lingerie, hadn’t had a chance to change. His breath was shocked out of him when he felt Henry’s hands grip his hips. He still hadn’t turned, the image in the mirror arresting him.

“You were teasing me dove, I know you were. With this.”

One of his hands came to palm the belly button piercing, tugging it gently, but Louis gasped all the same. He fought against the urge to close his eyes and sink back into his alpha. 

“I wasn’t teasing you,” he said breathlessly, lying through his teeth. 

Henry’s lips grazed his neck, Louis watched in the mirror, feeling it and seeing it, twin sensations. 

“Still a minx, that hasn't changed" Henry said as he nipped at Louis’ ear. 

Louis was in danger of getting very wet, very soon. He wanted Henry to stop but also for him to go on, to press him up against the vanity and take him however he wanted him, to be caught on his knot again. Louis shuttered at the thought.

“You’re tempting me right now, dove,” he said, and Louis knew his heat was going to come soon as surely as Henry’s hands were on him.

“You smell so good,” Henry said, inhaling deeply. Louis knew he had to get out of there before he did something rash. 

He tore his gaze from the mirror and turned around. He dropped his small hands to Henry's biceps. They were so much bigger than he remembered. 

“I need to go,” he whispered, eyes level with Henry’s chest. 

“I know,” Henry whispered back, looking reluctant to let him go but he did. 

Louis wondered if it was the temptation of Louis’ heat that made his former alpha come closer to him. It had to be a fluke, he thought to himself. 

“We should have dinner and talk,” Henry said, and Louis looked up startled. 

“There’s things I want to say to you…” Henry said. “Just call me. The number hasn’t changed.” 

Louis gave him a small smile and walked out of the room

+++

The heat Louis experienced next was one of his most frustrating. His omega kept reminding him that his alpha was near, why wasn’t his alpha coming?  
Rationally, Louis knew it was because he was technically still mated, he always wanted his alpha to care for him.  
Normally it wasn’t so hard to ignore.  
  
The alpha was on his mind constantly as he rode waves of pleasure, torturous because he was alone in his apartment. It would take him three days without an alpha for the heat to subside, he felt the absence and the distance. His recent conversations with Henry played on his head on repeat. Louis wondered where it had all gone wrong. He missed his—the alpha. He missed him when he was dissatisfied with his orgasm, when his toys and his fingers couldn’t satisfy him the way an alphas knot would. 

“Fuck,” he muttered as he felt another wave rise. 

His phone was beside him on the side table, he heard it buzz. He grabbed for it and swiped up. Anything to get his mind off of his heat. It was a text from Henry. 

“Hope everything is ok. Coffee soon?”

That was it, an innocent text. Then it buzzed again. Henry sent a selfie, sweaty and wearing the blue tank top Louis aways loved to see him in. That bastard! He knew what he was doing. He groaned feeling even more heated. He was so tempted to send him a picture back. Henry had to know that Louis was in heat, especially since he had phoned in to Soluxe that it was early. Was he teasing him on purpose?

Memories of past heats came back to him. Henry was always the best at soothing him no matter how bad the heats got. He was an uncommonly kind alpha, what drew Louis to him.  
During heats, when he was trying to keep his mind off of the pain and little pleasure he got, he thought of why he and Henry had even separated. The tabloids, the media, the lack of time for each other, they were all the downfall of his relationship, but he knew it was because he was also stubborn almost to a fault.  
  
Having kids was something that he wanted now, so badly, but at twenty two it had seemed so daunting. He didn’t want his children growing up with the tabloids constantly taking pictures of them, being thrust into the spotlight.  
He knew Henry didn’t want that either, but at the time, he was so adamant.

Louis sighed, he remembered how Henry felt inside him, filling him up. He twisted the dildo that was currently inside him, he hadn’t even taken it out the past two times he’d used it. It was nothing like a real alpha’s knot. He remembered the first time Henry had fucked him, he was so careful with him. Louis had dated before, but Henry was different. He was so sweet but he also knew how to use his body, and he played Louis’ like an instrument.

He palmed his cock, teasing his balls with featherlight touches the way his alpha used to do. He loved when Henry was sweet, loved it even more when he fucked him roughly, taking him wherever he wanted. He went mad for Louis in lingerie.

Louis remembered the countless talks they had about alpha and omega equality, something Henry was passionate about as well. And yet, it still had all gone wrong. They had come to a mutual agreement that they would go on a “break”. Sometimes when Louis really thought about it, he knew they were both too stubborn to be the first one to come back, but Henry had told him to call…

Louis was about to do something foolish. He could feel it in his bones, the heat was making him reckless, but at this point he didn’t care. Henry sent him a sweaty selfie, Louis could do the same. He got himself off thinking of Henry poised above him, his frame so much bigger than even before. Louis wanted to feel those muscles beneath the skin.  
Henry had always been fit and lightly muscled, Louis always got off on their size difference but now? Even in the throes of his heat, he could appreciate how much bigger Henry was, how his biceps had felt when he had touched them, his hands on his waist, making him feel even more delicate. He came from the thought of Henry being with him, all of his attention on Louis. 

Before he could question his judgement, he snapped a pic of his face and half of his torso, freshly fucked out, blissful for the moment. He sent it to Henry then turned off his phone. It was stupid, he knew, but he was beyond caring. His omega was preening at the thought of his alpha seeing him this way, hoping it would affect him. He groaned as he felt the irritation come back, the heat simmering in his veins. It was always the worst when he was alone, even more so because he remembered how Henry had taken care of him. It was going to be a long two days before it finally stopped. 

+++++

His heat was finally over on Thursday, he woke up feeling more like his normal self but still tired and sore from all the time he spent trying to get off. At least with his suppressants, his heats only come once every two months, but it was still a pain.  
  
He got up to make himself breakfast in his kitchen. He enjoyed cooking but not so much after a heat where he just wanted an extra day of rest and to do some mindless things while his body recovered. He thought wistfully of when he would wake to breakfast in bed with pancakes and raspberries. He looked down at his sad piece of toast and sighed. He put the kettle on for tea and munched on his dry toast.  
Maybe he’d order in for lunch. He had forgotten that he left his phone in the bedroom. He set his plate down and went in his bedroom to pick up his phone. He heard the tea kettle boiling so he unplugged it and brought it with him to the kitchen. He heard the tell tale signs of it turning back on as he poured the water into his cup, Yorkshire tea bag at the bottom. 

Settling in on the couch, he sipped his tea as he looked through the messages. He almost dropped his mug when he saw there was a new message from Henry.

Oh God, he sent him a picture and not just any picture but a suggestive one that at the time he thought nothing of. His more rational self was screaming in embarrassment. He debated whether he should look at it or not. He clicked on the response and his jaw almost dropped. Henry had sent him a picture in response and even though Louis heat was over, he still felt a residual spark. Gone was the tank top from the picture, it was just Henry’s broad torso and his huge hand covering his stomach which was covered in cum. Had Henry gotten off to Louis’ picture?  
  
Did he expect Louis to respond to this? He set his phone face down, heart racing. What were they doing? He shouldn’t have sent something so impulsively but at the same time he felt…exhilarated. He didn’t want to get his hopes up .for what he didn’t know, but the fact was Henry was still attracted to him. He couldn’t deny it especially after this. But how was he expected to work with him and act like nothing had happened? Henry was technically his boss even though it seemed like he was investing in many projects. He hesitated and then called his oldest friend. 

The phone rang for a minute, and then he heard the tell tale click of the phone picking up. 

“Perrie, it’s me, I think I need an intervention,” Louis said, deigning not to say hello but jumping right in. 

“Hold on babe, it sounds like you need my advice and my undivided attention,” she said, laughing. 

He could hear something in the background and then a door shutting. 

“Alright, whats up?” she asked.

“I did something really dumb during my heat,” he started to say. 

“Wait, did you sleep with someone? It’s about time!” she said. 

Louis rolled his eyes. “No, I didn’t call in an alpha or anything, but I may have sent a risqué picture to someone.” 

“Someone,” she said suspiciously and then waited for a beat. “You mean you sent it to your alpha.” 

“He’s not my alpha anymore, Perrie, I can’t call him that. But yeah, I sent him a picture—but he sent me one first!” he defended. 

Perrie snorted into the phone. “He probably didn’t know you were in heat, but what happened? Did he ignore it?” 

“Uh, not exactly.” 

He could picture Perrie’s face in the moment, her eyes going wide. 

“You mean he sent one back? Oh my God. He’s still in love with you!” 

“Ok let’s not go crazy here" Louis said, even though he felt his hopes rising.

“What other excuse is there? If he wasn’t interested he would pretend it didn’t happen. Not only did he send you something first, he responded to your selfie? I’m betting you looked all fuckable—“

“Thanks Pez,” he said dryly.

“You know what I mean! And I bet he sent something sexy back, didn’t he?” she asked.

Louis squirmed in his seat. “Uh, yes he did.” 

“I KNEW IT!” she shouted into the phone. “I always thought both of you were dumb for breaking up. You know he’s never been seen with another omega,” she said.

“Have you seen him recently? He’s bulked up a LOT,” Louis stressed the word, ignoring the other part of her statement. Henry hadn’t been seen publicly with another omega, but whose to say he wasn’t attached to someone? Just because he sent a selfie back, it didn’t mean that he wanted…well, he wasn’t sure what he wanted. 

“Wait, let me google him,” He heard her clacking the keyboard keys in the background. 

“Oh my God, he looks like the terminator,” she squealed. 

“He does not!”

“His biceps are huge, bet he’s a shower and a grower.” 

“Perrie!!”

“Sorry, I have eyes don’t I?” 

Louis huffed out a laugh. 

“It just seems like it’s come out of the blue, we’ve been apart for two years…”

“That’s really not that long and besides, you never really got over him did you?”

Perrie was a little too insightful sometimes.

“We’ve tried to hook you up with so many alphas and it’s never worked out, you gotta ask yourself if maybe that’s the reason why,” she said. 

“I hate when you give good advice.”

“Only because I’m right,” she said, cheekily. 

“So let’s just say theoretically if he wanted to get back together, do you think I should?”

There was a moment before she replied. 

“I think that if you feel that you still have some sort of attachment to him, you should give it a chance, but don’t forget why you broke up in the first place. Miscommunication kills relationships, and I’m talking from experience as well.” 

He knew she was right. He and Henry had a wonderful relationship, but other things had got in the way. He wondered if they had dealt with it differently maybe they still would have been together. He had to admit to himself that he hadn’t wanted to break up in the first place. It just seemed to happen, and he didn’t fight his flash judgement. Now he wondered if he should have.

“Yeah, that’s true and anyway, I don’t know if he even wants to get back together,” Louis said, cradling the phone between his ear and shoulder. 

“He sent a response back didn’t he? And I bet it wasn’t just a thumbs up emoji.” 

Louis couldn’t help but blush thinking about the photo of Henry’s dick just sitting on his phone. 

“It’s going to be so embarrassing when I see him next,” he groaned.

Perrie made a shushing noise. “Oh please, as if he won’t be wanking to that photo of you until he can see the real thing. Bet he’d like you to be his sugar baby.” 

“Oh c’mon Pez, just because he’s a CEO?” 

“Bet he’d want you to play secretary.” 

“I’m hanging up now.” 

She was laughing but quieted down. 

“Ok sorry, but it’s literally what he is. Anyway let me know how it goes,” she said seriously.

“Well, I’ll probably die from mortification when I see him again but yes, I’ll keep you updated.”

“Good luck! Hope we can get lunch soon.”

“Same, I’ll text you, byeee.”

He rung off with Perrie and then fell back on the couch. Why did things have to become more complicated when he had just accepted he would be single forever?

++++  
  


He didn’t end up seeing Henry for another week, and while the thought of him lingered in his mind, he didn’t obsess over it. He should have expected to see him at the corporate office but the thought slipped his mind. Sometimes he did have to go into the office for meetings since he was one of the most in demand models, getting called in to go over specifics for various designs.  
Taylor was the best kind of boss, and she was an intimidating alpha, a winning combination especially for SoLuxe. She liked getting the models’ ideas and support for certain campaigns.   
  
He shouldn’t have been surprised to see Henry there but he was. He had hoped the first time seeing him again wouldn’t be in a room full of people, the text conversation still hanging between them. But Henry didn’t treat him any differently than he had before. He was extremely civil and easy going even when he knew that Louis was waiting for him to say something. 

The new line of lingerie was marketed around summer colors for the next campaign. There was also a new set of cover ups and dresses. They were looking at all the designs, choosing fabrics and comparing colors. 

“This one is beautiful,” he said about a design with a lace cover up. Most of the colors were peaches, pinks, and reds. 

“You would look good in that,” Henry said, and Louis looked up from his perusal to see Henry’s gaze darkening. 

“Agreed,” Fionn, one of the interns, said. Louis was startled when Henry let out a little growl towards the beta which had him scurrying away wordlessly. Taylor gave Louis and Henry a side eye from where she was working with one of the designers. 

“Sorry,” Henry mumbled, looking so contrite that Louis felt bad for him. 

“I hope this isn’t impolite but are you nearing your rut? That’s the only time you ever get so grumpy,” Louis asked, feeling more free now that it was just the two of them for now. 

“You always had a nose for when I’d go into rut,” he chuckled, giving Louis a warm glance. 

“I’m sure Fionn will understand when you apologize to him, but you know he’s just an intern? He was only giving his opinion,” Louis said. 

“Hmph” Henry made a noise that wasn’t exactly agreeable.

“Ah, I’ve missed those noncommittal responses,” Louis said, teasing Henry. He wasn’t so close to his rut that he didn’t smile back at Louis, but it was a trifle pained. They stood looking at the pile of portfolios before Henry mentioned the Incident. The Incident was how Louis was thinking about it in his head. 

“I’m sorry if I—if I made you uncomfortable with the picture I sent you,” Henry started out. “I apologize if I was too forward.”

Louis was endeared, he couldn’t help it. Henry was acting as if they’d never fucked before which was hardly the case.

“It wasn’t too forward, I admit I sent you the picture to get a reaction. Although it was during my heat, and my heat makes me a little more reckless than usual.” 

“You were in heat?” Henry asked, eyes darkening. 

Louis looked at him with surprise “I thought you knew.” 

Henry shook his head. “It didn’t feel right to look through the employee roster and the scheduled heats especially if…” his words dropped off at the end. 

“Especially if I had a heat partner from the company you mean,” Louis said, finally understanding. 

SoLuxe like many other companies had a roster of heats and ruts that employees could look through to help each other out if they so wished. It was much easier getting through the cycles with a partner, romantic or not. 

“I didn’t spend my heat with anyone, I haven’t since—” This time Louis stopped his sentence short, but the implication was there. _I haven’t spent my heat with anyone but you._

“It would drive me crazy if I knew you were spending it with someone. I mean you have every right to,” Henry rushed to say. “But the thought of it…I was happy not knowing.”

“And are you happy now knowing I was alone?” Louis asked. 

“Happy isn’t the word I’d use,” Henry said. 

They were lingering too long over designs they weren’t even looking at. The tension was heightened in the room, and he knew the others could feel it.

“Do you want to take the edge off?” Louis whispered to Henry who was looking at him curiously. 

“What do you mean by that?” he asked.

“Do you trust me?” 

“Of course.”

“Then follow me.” 

He coughed so that Taylor’s attention was on him. She quirked a brow. 

“Henry left something in his car and we’re just going to fetch it, it’s important to the meeting,” he said, hoping this flimsy lie would work. Taylor and some of the others looked like they didn’t believe him, but she waved her hands in a go ahead gesture. One or two of the other businessman looked at them suspiciously, but they all bent their heads back over what they were working on as Louis grasped Henry’s hand to pull him out of the room. 

“Where are we going?” Henry asked suspiciously as Louis towed them towards the empty supply closet near one of the more deserted parts of the floor. 

The supply closet was small, and Henry just barely fit. He seemed to crowd around Louis’ space as he locked the door. Flipping the light switch on, Louis stood near one of the office material shelves. 

“Now what did you bring me in here for?” Henry smirked. 

“You always do get cocky around your rut don’t you?” Louis teased. He couldn’t help it, when Henry got possessive it turned him on like nothing else. But he didn’t want to have any misunderstandings. 

“I thought that you could scent me, I mean, if you wanted to,” Louis said shyly. Now that he was here it was hard to think with Henry’s scent so sharp, getting closer to his rut. What if Henry didn’t want the same thing? 

“We can’t have you scaring off poor Fionn again,” he said as Henry caged him with his arms. 

“Oh it’s poor Fionn now?” Henry said, before nuzzling Louis’ neck causing him to burst into giggles. 

“Your facial hair is so scratchy,” he said. He loved it. “You look very distinguished with it” 

“Thank you, dove,” Henry said in such an adoring tone, it turned Louis into mush. Louis couldn’t help but move towards him, pulling Henry’s larger body into his. He wrapped his arms around the larger man’s torso, just breathing him in. 

“May I scent you now?” Henry asked as his arms came around Louis’ body, cradling him. 

“Yes, please,” Louis said, basking in the body contact. He forgot how much he craved just being held. 

Henry began to scent his neck, one of his favorite places to nuzzle his face into. Louis’ omega was purring inside, finally getting attention from his alpha. How could he be so foolish as to think he’d ever get over Henry?

Even if this meant nothing, he was head over feet. Again. As if he’d ever stopped. 

“What do I smell like to you?” Louis asked even though he already knew. 

“Vanilla. Berries. It smells even better mixed with mine,” he said, and then he was nuzzling at Louis’ mark, causing him to whimper. 

“Are you alright, dove, do you need for me to stop?” Henry asked, searching his eyes. It was almost too much. The fact was Louis didn’t want him to stop, he wanted him to refresh his mating bite so that it looked as if it had just been made. He wanted his alpha to give him everything he’d been missing for the last two years.

“Please don’t stop,” Louis said, feeling tears at his waterline. He didn’t want to cry in front of him, but his body wasn’t listening to him. 

“I missed this so much,” Henry said, trying to squeeze Louis even tighter to him. 

“Missed your laugh, missed your smile, missed your body, everything, dove, you have no idea how much,” Henry said. 

Their scents were co mingling now. Butterscotch and musk, vanilla and berries. Louis felt drunk on it.

“I don’t think we can go back to just being friends,” Louis said. He felt that he needed to say this. When they had broken up before it was due to so much miscommunication, he couldn’t let it start or end that way again. 

“I just wanted to be honest with you,” he said into Henry’s chest. At those words, Henry kissed the top of his head. 

“Baby, I didn’t think we could go back to being just friends after everything we’ve shared,” Henry said. 

“Oh,” Louis said. The sound was muffled because he didn’t want to move his head. He forced himself to look up. “I thought that’s what you wanted to be…friends, colleagues.”

“Is that why you invited me into this utility closet? Friendly bonding?” Henry asked, mirth in his blue eyes. 

Louis hid his face again. “I just thought it might take the edge off, I know your rut is coming, and it always helped me when I went through heat.” It helped him without going through heat but he left that unsaid. Just being around Henry’s scent made him relax and feel less stressed. 

“I think that if you didn’t want to be more than friends, you wouldn’t have come back here with me,” Henry said.

Louis smiled up at him. “What you can read my mind now?” he asked.

“I can when you’re being obvious. You wouldn’t have sent me such an explicit picture if you didn’t feel the same way. And what a sight for sore eyes it was,” Henry said, and Louis couldn’t bite down his grin. 

“Yeah? You missed seeing me come apart?” he said coyly.

Henry’s hand came to rest on the small of his back, one of his fingers dipping lower. “More than you can possibly know,” he said like he wanted to ravish Louis right then and there. 

“We can be friends. Friend with benefits. You know, when we need it,” Louis said, trying to calm his racing heart. Even as he said those words, he knew they weren’t true. He would never stop thinking of Henry as his alpha. 

Henry regarded him with something akin to mirth.

“Are you suggesting that you help me with my rut?” 

Louis couldn’t help the little whine that he let out at the thought of being on Henry’s knot again.

“If you want me too…”

“Dove, I think we’re only lying to ourselves if we think this is a one time deal or friends with benefits. I knew what I was doing the day I mated you, and I’m not going to throw it away ever again. Fate brought us back together for a reason. I should never have let you go in the first place but I thought it was what you wanted,” Henry said

“ At the time I thought it’s what I needed too,” Louis whispered. 

It seemed like ages ago since he had decided that they needed time apart, that the distance would be good for him, but it only ever tore him apart.

“I should have fought for us,” Henry said fiercely. “I just wanted you to be happy.” 

“I didn’t think I’d see you again,” Louis admitted. “I didn’t think you’d want me.”

Henry tilted his chin up so he was staring into his eyes. 

“There’s not a world in which I wouldn’t want you. All of you. Even if you decided you didn’t want children, I’d still have mated you. I’ve missed you so much, and I’ve been too stubborn. I hope in time you can forgive me,” Henry said with so much emotion that Louis couldn’t help but let a few tears slip out. 

“Oh baby, please don’t cry,” Henry said, as he stroked Louis’ back. 

“I cant believe we’re having this conversation in a broom closet,” Louis said and started laughing.

“It doesn’t matter the time or place, love, I’d feel the same.” 

“I hope you can forgive me too,” Louis said. “I let so much of the pressure get to me, and I didn’t talk with you.”

“Well, we’ll have to fix that won’t we?” Henry said. “We’re gonna remedy that. We’re gonna talk about everything.” 

“Hopefully not in this broom closet,” Louis said, tongue in cheek while Henry laughed. 

“We should have dinner before my rut takes over,” he said. 

“Or,” Louis said, looking up through his eyelashes. 

“We could have dinner before your rut takes over and I’ll stay for as long as you need me to.”

“Baby, don’t you think it’s too soon?” 

“Unless you don’t want me to?” Louis asked. Had he read the signals wrong? Did Henry not want the same thing? 

“Of course I want you too, Jesus, I’ve been imagining it since we’ve been apart, you have no idea, Louis. I want to make sure you’re ok, I want this to be what YOU want.” 

Louis pulled Henry in by the nape of his neck. 

"I want this, Henry. I want to be with you again. In every way,” he said and couldn’t bear it any longer. He pressed his lips against Henry’s. He could tell Henry wasn’t expecting it, but his lips parted and then, he was kissing Louis in earnest.

Louis felt his body being pushed back against the cart, and he heard a few things drop and fall over but he didn’t care. His alpha was kissing him, his mate.

“God, Louis,” Henry’s forehead came to rest against the smaller man.

“You have to know I never stopped loving you" he said, kissing Louis' forehead.

“I never stopped either,” Louis confessed. “My friends kept trying to get me to go out with any other alpha but I couldn’t do it. If you’ve been with another omega, that’s ok….” 

Henry squeezed Louis sides. “As if I could find someone as perfect as you, I wouldn’t even begin to try. And as if you wouldn’t be jealous,” Henry teased. 

Louis rolled his eyes, but he felt like his heart was glowing. 

“We should get back to the meeting,” Louis said even though he’d be content to stand in the supply closet all day if Henry was with him. 

“You’re having dinner with me,” Henry said, although there was a question in his voice. It seemed they still had things to talk about. Louis grabbed his hand, intertwining their fingers. “Of course I’m having dinner with you.” 

They walked back into the meeting room, hand in hand and disheveled. Anyone would know what they would have been doing, which Henry took great pride in. He made sure to give Fionn a pointed look even though Louis knew he had literally no reason to be jealous.   
  
+++++

Louis was waiting for Henry in the bathtub. He had already texted him to let him know that he was in the apartment. Henry probably thought he was just coming over for dinner, saying he would be home in ten minutes. He had little idea of what Louis had planned.

He had just run the bath, the water was piping hot, the steam rising in the luxurious bathroom. Louis hadn’t been in this apartment since the breakup, but he had lived there with Henry and had kept the key not really understanding why. He was glad that he had.

He was understandably nervous to be doing this. He was making the first real move because he was tired of waiting. He wanted to be there for Henry during his rut, and somehow Henry thought his judgement would be clouded if they restarted their relationship then, so Louis was taking it into his own hands. Henry’s rut was a couple days away, he knew that he was probably going to be feeling it that weekend. He was going to give them a little push in the right direction, and that meant seducing Henry.

He needed to show him just how much Louis wanted him. And he needed that confirmation in return. His lingerie was folded on the chair, he didn’t think he’d need it. If his plan worked, Henry would just tear it off him anyway, but on the off chance he left it there in full view. He dipped his toe in the water and hissed. It was still too hot to get in, but he wasn’t worried because Henry still hadn’t come in. It wasn’t dark yet but Louis lit some candles and placed them on the sink.  
  
This bathroom was bigger than his college dorm room had been. He spent many nights relaxing in the tub with Henry behind him. He smiled softly. But this time they were going to make a new memory. Louis would blush, but he knew exactly what he wanted Henry to do to him. In fact, he was counting on driving Henry wild with desire. He threw some bath salts in the water, watching them dissolve quickly and smelling lavender in the air.  
  
It was then he heard the door shut and Henry calling his name. He quickly got in the water even though it was just on the wrong side of too hot. He dunked his head under the water so that his whole body was now wet. He smirked to himself wondering what Henry was going to do. 

“Louis? Are you in here?” Henry opened the bathroom door carrying a bag of groceries which he almost dropped seeing Louis naked in the water. 

Louis could see a bouquet of mixed flowers peeping out over the top of the brown bag.

“Did you bring me flowers?” he asked excitedly, sitting up halfway in the tub. The thoughtful gesture made him smile brightly, forgetting his seduction plan for the moment. 

“I—yes. I did,” he stared at Louis for a moment before he spoke again. “Uh—what are you doing?” he managed to get out, gripping the brown bag with white knuckles.

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m taking a bath, and I’m waiting for you to join me,” Louis said, gesturing at the water. 

Louis figured that he would strip off his clothes immediately but he didn’t. Seeing Henry wrestle with his self control was turning Louis on. His skin felt hot from the way Henry was watching him, he wanted to drop his eyes but he didn’t. Henry set the grocery bag down near the vanity sink plucking one of the flowers, a pink tulip, from the top before handing it to Louis, still sitting halfway up. He smiled at the gesture but gave him a questioning glance. He brought the flower up to his face, smelling how fresh and beautiful it was. 

“Louis, are you absolute sure about this?” Henry asked. 

“Am I sure about you fucking me senseless until I can’t think of anything but your name? Yeah, I am, so don’t keep me waiting. Unless you want me to find some other alpha that will help me out?” Louis said, knowing he was pushing the right button when Henry’s eyes darkened even more. His alpha was possessive in the best way. Henry didn’t even hesitate he just jumped in the bath, water sloshing everywhere. 

“Henry you’re going to flood the apartment!!” Louis said while laughing. His alpha couldn’t even wait to take his clothes off. He was kissing Louis, cradling his head between his hands. He felt joy and desire bubble up inside him. 

“I love everything about you,” Henry whispered into his skin. Louis was struggling to unbutton Henry’s shirt, urging him to take it off. 

“You really can’t wait little one?” Henry asked, fluidly stripping his shirt off leaving his torso bare. Louis couldn’t believe this was all for him. He ran his arms up Henry’s torso as he gripped the sides of the tub, lowering himself down to meet Louis’ body in the water. Louis was breathless as he gripped Henry’s back with his fingers, feeling the muscle. He was so much bigger than he used to be, and Louis loved feeling tiny beneath him. 

“Do you really want me to fuck you here?” Henry asked him as he shucked off his trousers leaving him naked. His hands skimmed the crease of Louis’ ass under the water. Louis’ mind was having a hard time keeping up now that his alpha was gloriously bare in front of him. 

“Have you always been this big?” Louis wondered, not being able to resist touching Henry’s cock which was hard and thick, Louis grasped it in his hands, smirking inwardly at Henry’s groans.

Henry kissed him again before lifting them both up out of the water. 

Louis couldn’t stop his hands from roaming. His alpha had always been fit, almost been able to manhandle him but this new physique made him shiver all over. Henry’s biceps bulged as he lifted Louis out of the tub first. He found a towel to wrap around both of them, and Louis giggled as Henry dried them both. Louis scampered out of the bathroom with Henry hot on his heels. 

“Where do you think you’re going, omega?” Henry asked, grasping onto Louis hips and half carrying him to the bedroom. 

Louis knew his rut must be very close because he rarely called Louis that, much preferring to call him something sweet, but Louis liked it. He liked the recognition from Henry’s alpha. He was thrown on the bed and pinned in an instant. He felt suddenly shy as Henry looked him over, conscious that two years had gone by without them having sex. His slick was leaking out of him, taunting the alpha in front of him. 

“Do you remember when I first made love to you?” Henry asked conversationally. He was prodding at Louis’ hole with a thick finger, Louis was so open from the night before when he’d fucked himself with a toy dreaming of Henry and because he was so ready for a knot, his alpha’s knot. 

Louis whimpered, “Of course I remember.” 

“You were so shy, so sweet. Never had a knot before, did you darlin’,” Henry said, stroking inside Louis’ velvety walls. 

Louis remembered it quite well, the shyness he had felt, the knowledge that Henry was the first alpha to have him, the only. The way that Henry had played his body like an instrument just as he was doing now. 

“I never knew an ecstasy like you existed,” Henry said. He took Louis’ hands that were treacherously betraying him by the wrist, pinning him down even more so that he had nowhere to go. He squirmed even though he liked it, couldn’t stop moving. The pleasure inside him was too great especially with his alpha’s scent swirling around him making him feel wanted, needed. 

“I dreamt of this, of having you on my knot again,” Henry said, stretching Louis out, steadily and firmly rubbing against his prostate.

“Alpha, please,” Louis begged. He wanted a knot filling him now, right now. 

Henry licked Louis’ nipple into his mouth causing Louis to squirm even more. 

“Love your perky little tits,” he said, lavishing them with his tongue. Louis loved hearing Henry’s dirty talk, in rut he wasn’t usually so talkative, but it seemed like the years had loosened his tongue.

“Never know how lucky I’d be,” Louis breathed out, seeing Henry’s deep blue eyes gazing into his. “I’m so sorry I let you go,” Louis said, feeling a bit too honest. He couldn’t help it. His mating mark was burning, asking for Henry to bite it again. Henry abruptly dropped Louis’ wrist, heaving his body up like a rag doll, which is how Louis felt. 

He hefted him up in his lap, Louis silently thanking whatever gods made Henry this strong, he certainly wasn’t able to function. 

“I’m never gonna let you go again, you’ll never know how much I need you, dove.”

Louis was gushing slick, going out of his mind with desire for his alpha.  
  
  


“Are you ready for me?” Henry asked. 

“Yes fuck, give it to me,” Louis said, grabbing Henry’s larger body pulling it so they were as close as possible.

Henry lowered him onto his cock, Louis hissing at the burn. Henry was huge even without the knot. Louis loved it. He loved feeling the stretch, loved feeling the weighty girth inside of him, loved the way Henry’s eyelashes fluttered in pleasure, his forehead creasing, trying not to fuck into Louis so soon. He loved Henry’s self control but even more when he lost it and he was the cause.

“Alpha, fuck me,” he said, and that’s all it took. Henry’s hips snapped, jostling Louis upwards. He couldn’t help but let out a series of whimpers that he would be embarrassed about if he wasn’t being fucked so good. 

“No one can fuck you the way I do, can they baby?” Henry said, watching Louis ride him. 

“No one can fuck you as good, as deep,” he punctuated this with a roll of his hips, hitting Louis’ prostate every time. 

“Oh god, I’m not gonna last,” Louis said. It had been two years since Henry fucked him, two years since he had his knot. His thighs were on fire, his hands were scrabbling for purchase on Henry’s chest. Sweat dripped down his forehead as he closed his eyes. 

“You look so angelic like this, taking my knot like you were born for it.” 

He brought his hand up the Louis’ dick, his palm could easily hold it. Louis shivered. 

“Yeah, you love how small you are don’t you?” Henry said, his voice octaves deeper than it normally was.

“And you’re so big,” Louis slurred. He felt so delicate atop Henry, his body so much smaller. 

He felt Henry roll them over so his back hit the silk sheets. We’re going to ruin these, he thought before Henry slipped back inside him, leaving nothing but pleasure in his mind. 

“You like how big I am, baby?” Henry asked with a smirk. 

“Ugh, of course I do you bastard or I wouldn’t have said it,” Louis said, feeling his body on the brink of orgasm.

“Must not be doing that good of a job, seeing as you’re not screaming my name yet. Say my name, baby,” Henry grunted, speeding up his pace.

Louis linked his arms around Henry’s broad shoulders, gripping them uselessly. Henry was pounding into him now, as soon as he came they would be linked together by his knot. Louis trembled at the thought. 

“Henry please knot me, please alpha,” Louis pleaded. 

“Yeah baby, I’ll give you what you want.” 

Louis came when he felt Henry’s knot lock inside him, pulsing come. He felt boneless as his body jerked with the aftershocks. It was so much, it was enough for him to black out for a moment.  


“You were really trying to be romantic,” Louis said when he was able to talk again, Henry's knot still snug inside of him. Their bodies were close together, Henry stroking his back.

“A whole bag full of flowers…” he said, a smile in his voice. 

“A bag full of flowers, pasta, the ice cream has probably melted,” Henry answered, like he was counting it off his fingers. 

“You were gonna woo me. You probably wouldn’t have even tried to fuck me.” Louis nipped at Henry’s chin where he was nuzzling. 

“Just trying to be a good alpha for you, dove.”

Louis shivered at the endearment. 

“Well, I expect you to cook for me,” he said loftily and laughed when Henry scooted him up the bed so that they could properly snog. His heart was singing in his chest. He finally felt like he was home. 

++++++  
  


Louis woke up the next morning with a smile on his face. He felt incandescently happy. He felt Henry’s weight spooning him from behind, arm around his waist. He turned over to see that  
Henry was already awake and watching him. 

“Good morning,” Louis said shyly, realizing that everything had changed but they still hadn’t talked about any of the important things. 

Did this qualify as them getting back together?

“Good morning baby,” Henry said, nuzzling into Louis’ neck. 

“Do you…do you want me to go?” Louis asked awkwardly.

Henry moved his head lightening quick to look at Louis’ expression. 

“Why would I ever want you go to? I want you go stay here for as long as you like. Forever if you want,” he said, squeezing Louis tightly. 

The tension broke with Louis’ small laugh. 

“I just realized that we haven’t really talked anything over. I mean, do you want to still be mated with me?” Louis asked, feeling the most vulnerable he ever had. 

“This is a serious topic to start the day,” Henry said, fingertips stroking Louis' jaw. 

“I just wanted to make sure before your rut started, that we’re on the same page,” Louis said.  
  


Henry sat up, scooting himself back towards the headboard and patting his leg for Louis to sit between his thighs so that they were back to front. Henry thumbed over Louis’ belly in a calming gesture that immediately had Louis relaxing back into him. Louis looked up at him, gazing at his sharp jawline until Henry looked down, giving him a soft smile. Louis bit his lip nervously. Henry rested his forehead down against Louis’ then kissed him softly.

Henry looked nervous himself when he broke off the kiss.

“I always want to be honest with you. I’ve done some stupid things in my life, but the stupidest thing I ever did was let you go and let our misunderstandings fester. Louis, I love you and have never stopped. Ever since we first met, I knew you would be the one I’d mate. I’m sorry if I ever made you feel like you weren’t enough, that wasn’t my intention. I shouldn’t have pushed you to have kids, and I’m fine with never having them if you don’t want to. I’m so sorry that I ever made you feel like you had to do anything to keep me,” Henry spoke clearly. Louis could feel his heart racing in his chest. 

“I let my work consume me and I’m sorry. I hope you know that I’ve agonized over it since we split up. I never meant to let it last this long.”

Louis looked up at him, this man that was bearing his soul to him. There was an earnestness to his expression, he meant every word. 

“It was both of our faults for not communicating and it’s something that I hope we can work on. Henry, I want to have your children, I want a family with you. I just wasn’t ready two years ago. I thought I wasn’t being a good omega, that I wasn’t enough for you, but I know I am. I never stopped loving you either.” 

Louis had tears in his eyes, turning around to face Henry, reaching out to lace his arms around Henry’s neck so that they were face to face.

“I want to spend the rest of my life with you starting with your rut which I know will start in a few days. I’ve always loved you, and I’m so happy to be your mate,” Louis said, tears tracking down his cheeks. 

Henry’s expression had turned to awe, and Louis blushed, though he didn’t turn away as he usually did. This was his man, the one who he’d promised himself to, that knew all of his secrets and desires. 

“God, I’m so lucky,” Henry said almost to himself. He kissed Louis then, pulling him even closer. Louis giggled into the kiss, unabashedly happy. 

Tears were glistening in Henry’s eyes too and Louis gently wiped them away. 

“It’s so nice to be back home,” he whispered to Henry. “In your bed,” he said cheekily. 

Henry growled playfully and flipped him over. His eyes raked over Louis’ naked form like he couldn’t get his fill. 

“It’s nothing you haven’t seen before,” Louis said, blushing. 

“I hope I never get used to this sight. Every time I see you I’m reminded that I went two years without you, and it’s never going to happen again.”

“When is your rut starting?” Louis asked. He felt that it must be coming sooner than expected. 

“Tomorrow,” Henry confirmed. “I think it’s coming earlier than I imagined.” 

Louis smiled into Henry’s chest. 

“I can feel you smiling, you minx. You know you nudged me closer.” 

Louis drew the sheets around them again even though he knew he should get up soon. He’d be spending a couple of days in Henry’s bed soon enough. 

“When it happens I want you to mate me again, I know we already are but I want the mark to feel fresh,” Louis said. 

“Of course I will sweetheart, I want the same thing as you.” 

“We should probably get out of bed. You promised me breakfast you know,” Louis said, grinning 

“Are you sure I can’t change your mind?” Henry waggled his eyebrows suggestively

“Well…” Louis trailed off. “You can try,” he said, moving fast to get off the bed and failing when Henry grabbed him by the waist, pulling him back down. They were both smiling too hard to kiss properly. Louis’ heart felt aglow. Breakfast could wait a little while longer.

+++++

Henry’s rut had lasted three days which had left Louis the happiest he’d ever been. Reclaimed by his alpha, sated and sore, he felt that finally he was where he wanted to be. The months passed and he moved back in with Henry. His career was still the same although now he was no longer overworked or stressed as he had been. Henry still showed up at his shoots occasionally but for the most part remained hands on with the business side, co-chairing with Taylor. 

He had been feeling oddly fatigued lately, less energetic. He thought it might be a stomach bug he caught from one of the other models. 

He was sick two mornings in a row, Henry hovering worriedly in the the bathroom doorway. 

“Maybe you should go do the doctor, baby. It could be more serious than you think,” Henry said when Louis had finished splashing cold water on his face. 

“I hate seeing you sick,” He said, gently holding him in his arms. They stood like that outside the bathroom, Louis inhaling the sharp comforting scent of his alpha. 

“Even your scent seems different” Henry said, rubbing his nose against Louis’ neck. Louis giggled as his beard ticked his chin. 

“I’ll go to the doctor tomorrow, alpha, don’t worry,” Louis reassured him, squeezing Henry’s waist. 

His alpha plied him with homemade chicken soup and massaged his shoulders until he fell asleep on the couch unintentionally. Henry carried him to their bedroom, making sure Louis’ went through his nightly rituals even though Louis just wanted to fall face first into bed. 

“I could just sleep naked like you do,” Louis grumbled, putting on his satin pajamas and glaring at Henry. 

Henry just looked at him with a wry grin. 

“And then you’d wake up cold and wish you’d put on pajamas,” he said.

“it’s not like you wouldn’t keep me warm,” Louis quipped.

“Of course I would sweetheart,” Henry said.

“Ugh, you’re being too sweet,” Louis pushed Henry’s face away when he swooped down for a kiss. 

“No, that’s your job baby,” Henry said, kissing him on the forehead. Louis grabbed his arm to wrap it around him as the settled under the covers. Usually it took him awhile to fall asleep but he fell asleep almost as soon as his head touched the pillow. 

The next afternoon he went to the doctor, telling the nurse beforehand what his symptoms were. She looked at him speculatively for a moment, a gleam in her eye. 

“Do you think you could be pregnant?” She asked seriously and Louis’ heart suddenly leapt. He hadn’t thought about it but perhaps…

“I don’t know. My alpha and I didn’t use condoms during his rut,” here he blushed furiously. “It was a couple of months ago,” he said hastily. 

She smiled at him, patting him on the leg. 

“We’ll take some blood and urine samples and that should be able to tell us if you could be expecting,” she said

Louis was suddenly nervous. Was he ready to have a baby? He had always wanted children and especially with Henry. He was at a point in his career where he didn’t want to model for the rest of his life.

While the samples were being analyzed, he swung his legs on the medical cot, biting his lip. Henry had always wanted kids, he knew that he’d be over the moon to find out he was pregnant. Now that Louis thought about it, he had been feeling broody, nesting more than usual with pieces of Henry’s clothes. 

The doctor finally came in after a half hour of a nerve wracking wait. 

He was an older alpha doctor with a kind smile. 

“Well, we seem to have pinpointed where your symptoms are coming from. Congratulations, you’re pregnant!” he said, handing Louis the results of his tests. 

“We can do an ultrasound to show you the development of the fetus or we can wait for your alpha,” he said, while Louis’ mind was spinning. He was really pregnant. His eyes teared up and he looked down to his belly, still flat. 

“Can I make an appointment for me and my alpha please?” He asked. 

“Of course!” The doctor said and ushered in the nurse to make Louis another appointment. 

He left the doctors office in a happy yet nervous frenzy. He wasn’t scared to tell Henry but he was a bit nervous. This was going to change both of their lives forever. 

He took a taxi home since he didn’t feel like walking to the train station and he just kept a hand to his stomach, smoothing the skin. His baby was in there. He was caught between happy tears and elation. He couldn’t wait to tell his alpha. 

It was only four o’clock when he arrived home but he had texted Henry to come home early. He was probably thinking that Louis had caught a bad cold or a stomach flu and needed extra care. Little did he know…. 

He found Henry in the living room, pacing worriedly. He was wearing a blue v-neck sweater with the sleeves rolled up showing off his biceps. Louis made a mental note to steal it later. Setting his bag on the floor, he waited until Henry rushed towards him. 

“What happened, are you ok, love? Your eyes look red. Have you been crying?” Henry took his face in his palms, looking at him so worriedly and tenderly, Louis almost burst into tears. 

“I’m pregnant,” he whispered, looking to see how Henry would react. For a moment, it seemed as if Henry hadn’t heard him and then he stared at him. 

Louis giggled through his tears. “It’s true, I’m pregnant with our baby,” he said, taking henry’s hand and placing it on his stomach. 

“Oh my God” Henry said, just staring at Louis’ tummy until he fell to his knees in front of him. 

Louis lifted up his jumper with one hand, letting Henry cradle his stomach while the other carded through Henry’s hair. 

“Are you happy, alpha?” Louis asked tentatively when Henry remained silent.

“I’m so happy, baby but what about you? I thought you didn’t want to have children…” Henry said, trailing off. 

“I always wanted to have kids with you,” Louis said, pulling Henry up off his knees. He looked up at his silly alpha, thinking he didn’t want his pups, and kissed him. 

“I love you so much and I’m so happy,” He said, looking straight into Henry’s eyes, trying to show him that his whole heart was in this. The alphas’ eyes glistened with tears before he was throwing his head back and laughing. He spun Louis off his feet and kissed him. They were both smiling too much for it to be a proper kiss but Louis’ heart was bursting with happiness in the moment. 

“We have an appointment tomorrow for the scan to see our pup,” Louis said when Henry had gently set him back down.

“Our pup” Henry said, cradling Louis from behind, both his big hands on Louis’ stomach. He nosed Louis’ mating mark and Louis shivered.

“No wonder your scent has changed” Henry marvelled, stroking Louis’ tummy gently. 

“I’m so glad we found each other again,” Louis said, his eyes closing in contentment, leaning back and letting Henry take all of his weight. 

“Now you’re my baby full of my baby,” Henry whispered in his ear and Louis smiled. 

He couldn't wait for the rest of their life to begin   
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you SO MUCH to my wonderful beta Anna without whom none of my fics would be possible. Also thanks to mads for looking it over too at the last minute. Title taken from Carly Rae Jepsen's "Stay Away"


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